Florida Today

Last updated
Florida Today
Florida Today (2021-01-21).svg
TypeDaily newspaper
Format Broadsheet
Owner(s) Gannett
Founder(s)Al Neuharth
EditorMara Bellaby
Founded1966 in Cocoa, Florida
Headquarters1005 Viera Blvd.
Viera, Florida 32955
Circulation 27,809 [1]
ISSN 1051-8304
Website floridatoday.com
Logo in 2012 Florida Today.svg
Logo in 2012

Florida Today is the major daily newspaper serving Brevard County, Florida. Al Neuharth of the Gannett corporation started the paper in 1966, and some of the things he did with this newspaper presaged what he would later do at USA Today . [2]

Contents

In addition to its regular daily publication, Florida Today publishes three weekly community newspapers that are tailored for the North, South, and Central areas within Brevard County. Average daily circulation ($1.25/issue) of the main publication is 54,021, with Sunday circulation ($3.50/issue) 89,328 (2013). [3] [4] Circulation of the paper tends to be higher in the winter (due to snowbirds), lower in summer.

History

Gannett Building in Rockledge, Florida Gannett Building (Rockledge, Florida) 002.jpg
Gannett Building in Rockledge, Florida

Gannett's Florida Today, initially simply TODAY, was built at the Cocoa Tribune, to compete with the regional and dominant Orlando Sentinel and the statewide Miami Herald . When Gannett (Gannett Florida) purchased the Cocoa newspaper from Marie Holderman in 1965, [5] [6] it also acquired the Titusville Star-Advocate in the county seat to the north, and the tabloid weekly Eau Gallie Courier, the latter published from the Cocoa facility. They acquired the Melbourne Daily Times in 1970.

To guarantee advertisers a minimum circulation, Gannett delivered papers at no cost to all residences in Brevard County for the first two weeks of the newspaper's life; publication began on March 21, 1966. It continued this free circulation promotion to specific parts of the county until its circulation met the minimum set for the advertisers.

Both the Titusville and Melbourne papers maintained their independence and continued to be printed at each publication's own facility.

Teen section

A teen section The Verge was "by, for, and about teens." The section was composed by 40 students, as long as they were under 20 (most were in local high schools, but a few attended the local Brevard Community College). The section had regular articles in rotation such as Generation Gaps, where teens and someone from an earlier generation (parent, teacher, coach, etc.) wrote opposing views to a topic. The section began expanding into other parts of the paper and throughout the week. It was originally published on the back of Sunday's People section.

At a 2006 conference, The Verge won two national awards: First and Second Place for Best News Story. In May 2007, it was announced that The Verge would be integrated with the paper, rather than have its own section.

Recognition

The paper was cited in 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, and 2009 as a Gold Medal Newspaper for overall excellence by Gannett Co. [7]

Editors

Notable employees

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Brevard County, Florida</span> County in Florida, United States

Brevard County is a county located in the east central portion of the U.S. state of Florida. As of the 2020 census, the population was 606,612, making it the 10th-most populated county in Florida. The official county seat is located in Titusville. Brevard County comprises the Palm Bay–Melbourne–Titusville, FL Metropolitan Statistical Area. It is located along the east Florida coast and bordered by the Atlantic Ocean.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cocoa, Florida</span> City in Florida, US

Cocoa is a city in Brevard County, Florida. The population was 19,041 at the 2020 United States Census. It is part of the Palm Bay–Melbourne–Titusville Metropolitan Statistical Area.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Titusville, Florida</span> City in Florida, United States

Titusville is a city in and the county seat of Brevard County, Florida, United States. As of the 2020 census, the population of the city was 48,789. Titusville is located along the Indian River, west of Merritt Island and the Kennedy Space Center, and south-southwest of the Canaveral National Seashore. It is a principal city of the Palm Bay–Melbourne–Titusville Metropolitan Statistical Area.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gannett</span> United States newspaper company

Gannett Co., Inc. is an American mass media holding company headquartered in Tysons, Virginia, in the Washington, D.C., metropolitan area. It is the largest U.S. newspaper publisher as measured by total daily circulation.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Space Coast</span> Region in Florida

The Space Coast is a region in the U.S. state of Florida around the Kennedy Space Center (KSC) and Cape Canaveral Space Force Station. It is one of several "themed" coasts around Florida. All orbital launches from American soil carrying NASA astronauts have departed from either KSC or Cape Canaveral. The Space Force Station has also launched unmanned military and civilian rockets. Cities in the area include Port St. John, Titusville, Cocoa, Rockledge, Cape Canaveral, Merritt Island (unincorporated), Cocoa Beach, Melbourne, Satellite Beach, Indian Harbour Beach, Indialantic, Melbourne Beach, Palm Bay, and Viera (unincorporated). Most of the area lies within Brevard County. It is bounded on the south by the Treasure Coast, on the west and north by Central Florida, and on the east by the Atlantic Ocean.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Space Coast Regional Airport</span> Airport in Florida, United States of America

Space Coast Regional Airport is in Titusville, Florida, United States, on Columbia Boulevard and Washington Avenue in Brevard County. Formerly known, and still colloquially referred to, as Ti-Co (Titusville-Cocoa) Airport, it is the nearest commercial airport to the Kennedy Space Center.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sebastian Inlet</span> 12 miles north of Vero Beach, Florida, US

Sebastian Inlet, located in Sebastian Inlet State Park in Brevard County, Florida and Indian River County, Florida, offers surfing and fishing opportunities. It is off State Road A1A just 12 miles north of Vero Beach. There are annual surf tournaments, professional and amateur. Visitors fish there, particularly for Snook and Redfish.

<i>Austin American-Statesman</i> Daily broadsheet newspaper published in Austin, Texas

The Austin American-Statesman is the major daily newspaper for Austin, the capital city of the U.S. state of Texas. It is owned by Gannett.

Brevard Public Schools is a school district serving Brevard County, Florida, and based in Viera, Florida.

The News-Press is a daily broadsheet newspaper located in Fort Myers, Florida, serving primarily Lee County, as well as parts of Hendry, Collier, and Charlotte Counties.

<i>Swindon Advertiser</i> Daily newspaper in Swindon, England

The Swindon Advertiser is a daily tabloid newspaper, published in Swindon. The newspaper was founded in 1854, and had an audited average daily circulation at the end of 2017 of 8,828.

<i>Central Florida Future</i> İndependent weekly student newspaper of the University of Central Florida in Orlando

The Central Florida Future was the independent weekly student newspaper of the University of Central Florida in Orlando, Florida. The Future was one of the largest student-run newspapers in the United States, with a circulation of 14,000 and readership of over 30,000. It was a member of the USA Today network.

<i>Tallahassee Democrat</i> Newspaper in Tallahassee, Florida

The Tallahassee Democrat is a daily broadsheet newspaper. It covers the area centered on Tallahassee in Leon County, Florida, as well as adjacent Gadsden County, Jefferson County, and Wakulla County. The newspaper is owned by Gannett Co., Inc., which also owns the Pensacola News Journal, the Fort Myers News-Press, and Florida Today, along with many other news outlets.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Space Coast Area Transit</span>

Space Coast Area Transit is the public transit system serving the communities in Brevard County, Florida.

<i>Public Opinion</i> (Chambersburg, Pennsylvania)

The Public Opinion is a morning newspaper that is published seven days per week. It is located in the Greater Chambersburg area and serves readers in Franklin, Cumberland and Fulton counties in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania.

Brevard Business News is a weekly newspaper in Melbourne, Florida, United States covering business news and trends for the Space Coast region of Central Florida. Coverage also includes non-profit organizations and educational institutions, health, technology and commerce, and other issues at the local and national level.

Brevard County has a county government, municipal governments, and various Florida state and U.S. federal agencies.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Eastern Florida State College</span> Community college in Brevard County, Florida, U.S.

Eastern Florida State College, formerly Brevard Community College, is a public college in Brevard County, Florida. It is a member of the Florida College System and has campuses in Cocoa, Melbourne, Palm Bay, and Titusville, as well as a Virtual Campus.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Brevard County Library System</span>

The Brevard County Library System is a public library system in Brevard County, Florida that coordinates activities between its member public libraries, which collectively serve Brevard County. It is composed of 17 distinct branches stemming all the way from Mims to Micco, with the central administrative and largest of these libraries being the Catherine Schweinsberg Rood Central Library in Cocoa, Florida. It is governed by a board of trustees appointed and funded by the Brevard County Board of Commissioners. Its missions statement is "Brevard County Libraries enables people of all ages to improve their quality of life by providing information and enrichment through traditional resources and new technology." Its vision statement is "We will be recognized as a Library System that excels in providing efficient, modern, accessible and customer oriented services."

References

  1. "Member Directory". Florida Press Association. Retrieved 2023-04-10.
  2. "Company History". Archived from the original on 2007-06-12. Retrieved 2007-06-04.
  3. "Trusted Media Analyses & Audits - Alliance for Audited Media - AAM".
  4. "Gannett Investor Relations -". Archived from the original on 2014-04-26.
  5. Smith, John. "Newspaper Woman Marie Ringo Holderman". Florida Frontiers. Florida Historical Society. Retrieved 25 January 2024.
  6. Sonnenberg, Maria. "Haywire House: Own a piece of history with this Cocoa home built in 1918". Floridatoday.com. Florida Today. Retrieved 25 January 2024.
  7. "SABEW cites USA Today, Florida Today for overall excellence". April 11, 2003. Archived from the original on 2009-10-16. Retrieved 2009-03-18.